We checked in with Anjali Venkat, a glass artist who will be demonstrating glass cutting and teaching glass mosaic during the Maker Faire Singapore on 11 & 12 July. Read on to find out more.

Brief Introduction
Anjali Venkat is a glass artist with an eclectic sense of art and design.

Incorporating the unusual into her work, she tries to give a new twist to the ordinary in every one of her pieces. Blessed with the opportunity to travel the world, she takes inspiration from the sights, colours, crafts, and people around the world.

She constantly tries to learn new techniques and incorporate them into her evolving artistic arsenal. She has trained in Traditional Glass Mosaic at Ravenna (Italy), Hot glasswork at the Corning Museum of Glass (New York), Glass blowing at Oslo (Norway), and Tiffany-style lamp making at Perth (Australia). Currently, the techniques she practices involve the use of mosaic, kiln-formed glass, Up-cycled glass bottles, as well as other media like wood, paper and plastic.

Joy of Making Glass Mosaic

There is something about the interplay of the vibrant colors, textures and designs of glass, which has a mesmerizing effect on all of us. In making a mosaic there is an unlimited choice of materials, size, texture and space. It is engrossing, challenging and at times downright difficult, but ultimately making mosaic is rewarding and therapeutic.

Advice for New Hobbyists

Materials and tools used to make basic mosaics are easily available- one can even make mosaic with broken crockery and bottles at home. All one needs is the Tessera (glass, tile, broken plates etc), Glue, a Substrate (a rigid base on which to mosaic) and Grout (a cement like filler, easily available at building material shops)

To cut the tesserae into desired shapes one has to use special nippers, cutters etc.

Views on Maker Faires

The Maker Faire is a good platform for both makers and others to interact. Not everybody is open to the idea or has the opportunity to actually make things with their hands. This provides a unique space for giving into ones free wheeling imagination and learning a lot in the bargain.